French President Emmanuel Macron's nephew was allegedly arrested in Burkina Faso while his private jet was flying illegally over the country, according to posts on Facebook, X, and TikTok. The claim is being spread by online users opposed to Macron, as well as accounts close to the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) – which includes Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger. They cite as evidence a 28-minute investigative video posted on YouTube on September 6.
Authorities in Burkina Faso reportedly found 3.7 million euros in cash from two diplomatic suitcases aboard Macron's nephew's jet. The aircraft was allegedly intercepted on the orders of Burkina Faso's president, Ibrahim Traoré. Macron's nephew was said to have been briefly questioned on suspicion of illegal cash transport.
The video claims the incident is evidence of "a vast network for capital trafficking using diplomatic routes". The clip alleges that the covert financial transfer system is linked to the exploitation of the region's mineral resources and is designed to "bleed Africa dry". The video commends Ibrahim Traoré's prompt response, stating that he succeeded in dismantling this network by directly opposing France.
Implausible video
However, this video, which pays tribute to Traoré – presented as someone capable of standing up to Macron – seems highly implausible.
To support his claim, the video's narrator asserts that an RFI journalist questioned Macron about the supposed arrest of a family member in Burkina Faso during a press conference on Franco-African relations. However, there is no mention of this press conference or the matter on the RFI website, nor in any other media.
The narrator also claims that following the press conference, the Quai d'Orsay spokesperson allegedly issued a "laconic press release" about a national figure who was "temporarily held during an administrative check in Ouagadougou" – presumably Macron's nephew.
However, there is no trace of such a statement on the Quai d'Orsay website: a search for the words "Burkina Faso" on the site returns a declaration dated April 18, 2024, regarding the expulsion of diplomats, which has no connection to this matter.
AI-generated fiction
The story about Macron's nephew being arrested in Burkina Faso is actually a work of fiction created by artificial intelligence.
YouTube has indicated on the video's page that the content is "modified or synthetic", a label that signifies the video was generated by AI.
The YouTube channel that published the video, “Chroniques Quotidiennes” (“Daily Chronicles”), displays a "legal notice" in its profile warning that its content is "entirely fictional" and created to "advance racial justice". Nevertheless, this video has been shared as authentic information by many internet users who oppose Emmanuel Macron or support the AES.
344 videos in favour of Traoré
"Chroniques Quotidiennes" appears to focus on two main themes: the glorification of Traoré and the denigration of Macron. Using a computer programme, the FRANCE 24 Observers team determined that the channel has published 344 pro-Traoré videos since February 26. Among these, 54 videos target the French president, using him as a foil to highlight Traoré's successes.
All of these videos have the same style. They are narrated by the same robotic male voice-over, last between 15 and 40 minutes, and are illustrated with AI-generated images or videos.
Initially, “Chroniques Quotidiennes” did not produce content with a specifically political slant. The channel mainly published fictional videos promoting messages against discrimination. It changed course on February 26, 2025, to produce exclusively pro-Traoré content.
Dormant channel reused
The fake news story about the arrest of Macron's nephew was also picked up by another YouTube channel, which purports to be a news channel: “Garde la foi” (“Keep the faith”).
Like “Chroniques Quotidiennes”, “Garde la foi” produces daily AI-generated videos criticising Macron or glorifying Traoré. The difference is that Garde la foi's videos are presented by an AI-generated avatar presenter instead of being narrated by a voice-over.
According to the deepfake detector Hive, the Garde la foi video about Macron's nephew's arrest has a 99% chance of being AI-generated. Unlike Chroniques Quotidiennes, however, Garde la foi fails to specify that its videos were created by AI.
The FRANCE 24 Observers team has determined that the Garde la foi channel has published 96 videos in favour of Traoré and 39 videos disparaging Macron. Created in September 2023, the channel was initially dedicated to religious videos with no political connotations. The channel ceased publishing in October 2023, only to reappear in June 2025, since when it has been continuously uploading videos that promote Traoré.
The diversion of YouTube channels from their original purpose – whether dormant, such as Garde la Foi, or active, like Chroniques Quotidiennes – is a tactic frequently employed in disinformation campaigns. It helps bypass social media moderation, which targets newly created accounts more heavily, making them more likely to be flagged as inauthentic than older profiles.
The use of AI for mass video production is a hallmark of the latest propaganda campaigns in favour of Traoré. In a previous investigation, the Observers team found that AI had been used to produce 294 fake music videos glorifying the president of Burkina Faso by impersonating famous singers such as Beyoncé, R. Kelly, and Justin Bieber.
This article has been translated from the original in French.
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